The female modular jack sockets with integrated connections which are at present marketed by Applicants for telephone- or computer-related applications, comprise, to the rear of the female modular jack opening proper but integral with the assembly, a small bank for the connection of wires with eight conventional self-stripping contacts. This bank is borne by a small printed circuit which effects the connection between the terminals of this modular jack inlet opening proper and this small connection bank with self-stripping contacts.
These known modular jack sockets present certain drawbacks.
The presence of the printed circuit between the inlet opening and the connection bank creates an impedance break which, as it is desired to rise in frequency (which is more and more the case at the present time), is penalizing as it is the cause of a poor quality of the transmission. PA1 The depth of this module is such that it often takes up prohibitive room in the cable troughs. PA1 It is often necessary to be able to wire a plurality of sockets in parallel, or to close an end socket on adaptation resistors. Double the number of wires normally provided must then be connected at the rear of the socket. With the bank incorporating self-stripping contacts which equips these known sockets, it is then necessary to introduce two wires on each other in each self-stripping slot. In that case, the upper wire risks coming out of the slot accidentally. Furthermore, one is in that case obliged firstly to remove the upper wire in order to act on the lower wire, which constitutes a practical disadvantage. PA1 The drain contact intended to ensure continuity of earth between the incoming multipair cable and the outgoing multipair cable is effected by introducing the two earth wires, or "drain" wires, in a helical spring which is provided to the rear of the module, under said connection bank. This mode of connection is inconvenient and could be improved from the practical standpoint. In certain cases, it is necessary to adopt a connection device different from the one adopted for the other wires. PA1 The self-stripping connections which are made on the bank, at the rear of the module, require the use of a specific tool to introduce the wires by force in their respective self-stripping slots. PA1 The module can only be mounted on a moulded plate specially dimensioned and arranged to that end. For example, it cannot be mounted in a simple metal sheet plate previously cut out accordingly. PA1 In the case of using such a female socket for computer-related applications, the inlet opening comprises a notch in the right-hand corner. A rotatable key is in that case provided on the plate in order to be able to obstruct this notch in the case of using the socket in telephony. The fact that this key is part of the plate and not of the socket itself is a practical hindrance, due to the lack of flexibility of this solution. PA1 a hollow insulating body presenting a female opening at the front adapted to receive a complementary male "modular jack" plug, and an opening at the rear; PA1 a solid insulating piece fitting tightly in this rear opening of this body, and provided with longitudinal notches around almost all of this piece and each receive an elastic conducting arm so as to form towards the front conventional elastic, parallel "modular jack" contacts located, as they must be, at the back of said female opening, these notches widening rearwardly on the upper face of this piece, arriving on the transverse rear face of this piece and serving as guides for free, elastic rear parts of these arms which form contact members and which are associated, by couples of contacts of different lengths, with a short contact, with a couple arriving substantially halfway up this rear face and the other, long, descending much further down; PA1 and two insulating half-caps which are positioned beneath each other to cover the rear part of the body and which each imprison a number of self-stripping contacts equal to half the number of pins of the modular jack socket, with the result that, when these half-caps are placed in position, the self-stripping contacts of the upper half-cap each rub respectively against one of said "short" contacts, whilst, in the same way, the self-stripping contacts of the lower half-cap then each rub respectively against one of said "long" contacts.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome all these drawbacks.